Tips to Protect Yourself From Phishing e-Mails

Internet users have become the victim of a phishing attack and have lost a lot of money, shall, in the worst case, the blame – for example, if enabled on your computer no firewall or anti-virus software was not up to date. So you do not even walk in the case of phishing, we show you how to recognize phishing e-mails and how you can effectively protect against attacks on your privacy.

Phishing is documented since the mid-90s. It refers to trying to get by phishing e-mails and fake Web addresses to access data of a user in order to plunder his bank account or the account with payment systems like PayPal. The access to mail order companies, Internet auctions or packing stations can be collected and used by the attackers.

Number of phishing attacks is increasing

The methods of the phishers have become more sophisticated over the years, most of the phishing attack starts but still with an e-mail that claims to be an official. Were phishing e-mails but initially slightly worse grammar or common speech (“Dear Customer”) to recognize them today are personalized and have also adapted linguistically to official e-mails, such as PCWorld reported . In 2011 there were, according to security experts at RSA in the U.S. alone almost 280,000 phishing attacks (37 percent).Each phishing attack brought the cyber criminals, on average, $ 4,500. 2012 the number of phishing attacks continue to rise.

But there are still some unmistakable evidence as to how you recognize phishing e-mails and protect you from the plunder of your account can.

Phishing e-mails to recognize

The easiest tip is: Beware of any e-mails in which you will be asked details of your data to make, whether it’s dates of birth, bank account information, credit card numbers, or TANs.

Links expose, without clicking it

If you are unsure whether you are a “real” or a phishing e-mail is before you, never click on links contained, Daniel Peck advised by the security service provider Barracuda Networks in PCWorld. Are you going with your mouse on the left, you see usually the destination address. Does not this be the exact web address of the institution concerned, it is probably a fake mail.

Contact telephone banking

Above are the driving goal no discernible links, copy the link helps in a Word document.“Edit Hyperlink” function (right mouse button), the previously veiled destination address should be unmasked. If in doubt you should but the web addresses for bank, auction house or online shopping sites to enter by hand and not use specified in the e-mail links.Will you be e-mail to an active action, such as the disclosure called your tans, you should call in advance to contact the other institution.

Protect against phishing scams

Make sure your browser is always up-to-date. In addition, you can you install browser extensions that warn you from hacked pages. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera are such phishing filter already installed .

Regularly check your online accounts

It is safest if you check all your online accounts (banking, credit card, auction house) once a month for suspicious transactions.

Report phishing scams and make a complaint

If you are yet again fallen for a phishing attack and you have been charged unlawfully money from your account, immediately report the phishing scam and refunded display.With online banking it is also recommended to have change your PIN and TAN-list to block, at best over the phone.

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Posted by Paracha on April 12, 2012. Filed under Articles, IT, Software. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry